Israel and Hamas reached a deal Tuesday to release dozens of hostages held by the terrorist group in exchange for a temporary ceasefire and the release of more than 100 women and minors in Israeli custody.
The agreement comes after nearly seven weeks of violence that erupted when more than 1,200 people in Israel were massacred on October 7 and some 240 more were kidnapped by Hamas.
Since the terrorist attack, Israel has waged an all-out war in Gaza through airstrikes and ground raids, and Hamas-led Palestinian authorities estimate the current death toll at more than 12,000 people.
While the deal will create the first major ceasefire in the war and allow families to reunite with loved ones after weeks of anguish, it will not end the war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
What’s in the deal?
The hostage deal will effectively allow 50 women and children held captive in Gaza to be released to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and health officials, according to Qatari officials who helped negotiate the deal.
In exchange for each freed hostage, the Jewish State agreed to release three Palestinian women and minors held in Israeli prisons, a total of 150 people.
Israel and Hamas reached an agreement for the terrorist group to release 50 hostages.Photo by Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
The hostages will be freed during a four-day ceasefire, and Israel will agree to extend the “humanitarian pause” for another day in exchange for the release of another 10 hostages.
The deal will also allow more humanitarian aid, including medical supplies and fuel, to enter Gaza after all hospitals in the north were left inoperable.
The agreement and truce will take effect on Thursday at 10 a.m. local time or 3 a.m. EST.
A Palestinian child receives drinking water from a supply truck in Khan Younis on Nov. 21, 2023. The hostage deal includes allowing more humanitarian aid into Gaza.Xinhua/Shutterstock
Which hostages are being released?
The list of women and children Hamas is releasing has not yet been published.
Despite earlier reports that the freed hostages would only include Israeli citizens, officials confirmed Tuesday that those with dual citizenship are included in the deal.
Follow The Post’s live blog for the latest on Hamas’ attack on Israel.
President Biden announced Tuesday night that the deal “should bring home more American hostages.”
U.S. officials have said they hoped Abigail Mor Idan, a 3-year-old American girl whose parents were killed on Oct. 7, would be among the children included in the negotiations.
U.S. officials expect Abigail Mor Idan, 3, to be one of the hostages returned in the deal. Courtesy of the family Abigail’s parents were killed in the October 7 terrorist attacks. NBCNews
How did the deal come about?
The decisive agreement was reached after weeks of negotiations involving Israel, Hamas, the United States and Egypt. The talks were led by Qatar, which previously worked with the United States to free hostages in the Middle East.
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While Israel has long rejected a ceasefire until Hamas releases all its hostages, the Jewish state reached an agreement after intense hours-long cabinet meetings on Tuesday.
The agreement was finally put to a vote and the majority of Israel’s leaders accepted the terms agreed upon in the negotiations.
Netanyahu and his administration had faced increasing pressure to accept a deal from the hostages’ families, as well as from around the world, over reports of civilian casualties in Gaza.
Which hostages are already free?
The deal between Israel and Hamas will mark the first major hostage release after Hamas let four people go for “humanitarian” reasons.
American hostages Judith Tai Raanan, 59, and her 18-year-old daughter, Natalie Raanan, from Illinois, were the first hostages freed last month after being kidnapped in Nahal Oz on October 7.
Yocheved Lifshitz, left, and Nurit Cooper released by Hamas on October 23, 2023. ISRAEL
The Chicago-area mother and daughter have since returned to the U.S. after being held captive by Hamas for 13 days.
Following the release of the Americans, Hamas also released Nurit Yitzhak and Yochved Lifshitz, two Israeli citizens in their 80s.
What happens next?
Qatari officials have said the deal between Israel and Hamas was the first step toward freeing all hostages in Gaza.
But despite the agreement on a multi-day ceasefire, Israeli officials have said it is simply a temporary pause in the war, which will continue.
The hostages will be released during a four-day ceasefire.ATEF SAFADI/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
“We are at war and we will continue the war until we achieve all our objectives,” Netanyahu said in a recorded message at the start of the meeting to vote on the agreement “To destroy Hamas, return all our hostages and ensure that no entity in Gaza can threaten Israel.”
Intelligence efforts will continue even during the pause so that the military is ready once fighting resumes, he said.
What happens if Hamas or Israel do not fulfill their part of the agreement?
If any of the parties does not comply with the agreement, the war will resume in the Palestinian enclave.
Hamas and the IDF have been waging a bloody campaign concentrated in northern Gaza, where hospitals and refugees have been caught in the crossfire.
If the deal fails, it would ultimately affect evacuations and the delivery of humanitarian aid in Gaza and the more than 1.7 million people displaced by the violence.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn